Firsts from La Aurora

Just because a company is 107 years old doesn't mean it can't do something new. La Aurora S.A., the oldest cigar company in the Dominican Republic, has two new tricks up its sleeve. The company (which is as old as the Ford Motor Co., Crayola crayons and manned flight) is coming out with a brand unlike anything it has ever made before.

Guillermo León by La Aurora, which will be unveiled to the tobacco trade next week at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Trade Show in New Orleans, will be made with two binders instead of one, and is named for company head Guillermo León. Both are firsts for the company.

"Guillermo has been working on it for over a year. We probably did 50 blends on it," said Jose Blanco, vice president of sales for La Aurora. "He was driving me and everybody in production crazy on it."

Blanco said the blend would be medium- to full-bodied. The cigars will retail for $7.60 to $9.80 each.